The prolific Afrikaans TV presenter,
news reader, producer, director and actress Franci Swanepoel died in her sleep
on Sunday morning. She was 50.
Franci Swanepoel who was born in Johannesburg and matriculated at Linden high school in 1989, graduated with a drama degree from the University of Stellenbosch.
In a statement kykNET boss Waldimar
Pelser told TVwithThinus that "Franci was busy filming a drama series for
kykNET. She was a valued colleague and a dear friend to many and we are
incredibly shocked and saddened over the news of her death".
Franci Swanepoel who lived in Auckland Park was one of the new crop of SABC2 continuity presenters in the mid-1990s when the South African public broadcaster relaunched its three SABC TV channels and the then-TV1 changed to SABC2.
On TV, Franci Swanepoel who had also directed and starred in several television commercials, had roles in numerous Afrikaans TV series on SABC2 and kykNET over decades ranging from Woestynblom and Vierspel to Pottie Potgieter, Hartland, Arsenaal, Iemand om lief te He, Die Vierde Kabinet, Bloedbroers, Sterlopers, Donkerland and Elke Skewe Pot.
She was
also the presenter of the travel magazine show Swerftyd on kykNET.
She made her South African TV debut in 1980 in Ntinzini Spa, followed by a role in 1983's Kooperasiestories as Gesie, while her two longest-running drama appearances were for characters like Toeks Joubert in kykNET's Afrikaans soaps Binnelanders as well as Getroud met Rugby.
Her last dramatic TV show
appearances were in an episode of the kykNET mockumentary series Hotel and in
the anthology series Spoorloos 3, both in 2021, and she appeared in the
made-for-TV movie Boetie Ontmoet 'n Alien on kykNET in July.
Franci Swanepoel produced shows like 10 uit 10 and Jan se Karretjie for kykNET and the documentaries Ko lat ons Fees, Hanna se Krismis and Krismis in die Klein Karoo, and did extensive dubbing work for television while also doing voice work for numerous radio TV dramas since the age of five in 1976.
She also appeared as one of the narrators
in kykNET's documentary series about the history of South African television,
Oppi Kassie.
In theatre Franci Swanepoel appeared
on stage in Car Cemetary, P.M. Slet se Kabaret, Sneeuwitjie en die Sewe
Dwergies, Women Behind Bars, Liewe Heksie, Ipekonders, Die Renoster, Die
Vampier, Lappies die Lappiesmous, Pinnochio, Junkiedrome, 2002's Siener in die
Suburbs, Staal Burger, Aantrekkingskrag, Janneman and 2012's Boksballade, and
was on stage opposite Sandra Prinsloo in Soebatsfontein at Innibosfees in 2018.